Getting to Know You
by electraray
Summary: Ginny in the library, restricted area... what the hell is she trying to do?
1. Default Chapter

Chapter 1

"Hermione! Won't you tell me what's in the restricted section?" Ginny asked, her big bluish gray eyes pleading with the pretty brunette sitting just opposite her in the dining room of Hogwarts.

"There's nothing really. Just a bunch of magic books too difficult for students like you to figure it out. And," she added secretively, "there're books on forbidden magic in there too." She winked at Ginny, who was none too satisfied.

"I mean, _what kind_ of forbidden magic?"

"Now, I shouldn't be going around telling everyone what's there right? It _is_ restricted," Hermione concluded, her expression indicating her wish for the conversation to end right there and then.

Ginny sighed audibly. She wasn't getting anywhere with the information that was virtually useless. _Why am I so interested in the restriction section anyway?_ She asked herself, fiddling with her soupspoon. She was after all, well into her sixth year and if she didn't find out about the restricted section then… well, she would go check the library out after lights out. _And that's a promise._ She added too herself.

It was slightly past 10 at night, and Ginny was sitting at the common room of the Gryffindor dorms, waiting for a chance to sneak out into the library to do some 'research'. She had thought about borrowing the invisible cloak from Harry, but that would bring about too much suspicion, and she wouldn't want Harry to follow her wherever she was going. _20 minutes more,_ she glanced at her watch, _before it's bedtime._

"Ginny!" a male voice called from behind her, giving her a rude shock. Turning around, she was surprised to see Harry walking towards her and plopping down on the couch in front of the fireplace beside her. "What are you doing up so late? Got something on your mind?"

Ginny shook her head, refusing to look at Harry in the eye. Harry looked at her quizzically, before asking if she was really ok. She nodded in affirmation, and turned her face away from him. Not that she was still shy around him, but she did not know exactly what to say to him. It had been an awkward six months since she had finally gathered the courage to profess her love, or rather, crush on him and he had rejected her in a gentlemanly way, so careful and tactful was he that she did not feel like she was dumped at all. _Just another one of those great traits Harry has,_ she mused to herself, lost in her own world of thoughts.

Harry let out a breath, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You know, if you need anything, or anyone, you could always come to me," he pulled her chin up so that she was facing him, and mussed her hair. "I'm going up to bed. Don't stay up too long, ok?" he grinned lopsidedly, green eyes twinkling from the glow of the fire.

Ginny nodded, and mumbled a "Good night," before watching him going up the stairs leading to the boys' dorm. Looking around, she found that she was the only one left in the common room, and decided that she should be going to the library then. Putting on her cloak with the hood covering her shimmering dark red hair, she slipped out of the Gryffindor room, and went her way down to the library.

***

Sneaking into the library, which was still lit dimly with overhanging chandeliers, the library was a really elegant place with wooded shelves decorated with intricate carvings, tables and chairs standing regally in neat rows filling all empty spaces of the room. 

Ginny looked around carefully, and was sure that there was no other person milling about before stepping foot into the restricted section, which was that hard a place to find, considering it was just at the back of the library with a sign that said, 'Restricted Section. Nobody allowed unless given permission'. 

Holding up her wand that was glowing at the tip, she used it to scan through the books on the shelves. The books looked really old and tattered, fraying at the spines, causing Ginny to squint hard before being able to make out the title of each book.

"Advanced Dark Magic, healing magic, to become a dragon master…" Ginny muttered, and went on to the next shelf. The next shelf was more on creatures of the wizarding world, and the book that she had finally taken out to examine, was, 'Book of Animagi'. _This definitely looks interesting._

Flipping through the pages of the book, she remembered vaguely about Harry's father being an animagus, as did his group of friends otherwise known as The Marauders. She read on, quite absorbed in the information she found in that book.

From the contents of the book, she understood that you could only be what you truly wish to be, that is, your favourite animal and nothing else. Choosing a creature that is innately you is very important as to facilitate the change of the human being, and that the repercussions of the change, mental and physical, could be very well minimized. _How does one go about transforming?_ Ginny read on, and the book gave a spell, at the bottom of the page. A paragraph is to be chanted in your mind, over and over again until the change is complete. Full concentration must be given or the subject would become half creature half human and the result is irreversible.

Feeling somewhat freaked out but greatly exhilarated, she wondered if she could become one of those Animagi. _ It couldn't hurt to try, could it?_ Maybe, maybe not.

Just then, a scuffle could be heard just outside the restricted section, and panic overwhelmed Ginny's senses. _Oh my god oh my god oh my god_ her hands shook together with the book, and she thought, _It's now or never._ Hearing more footsteps, now nearing the shelves she was standing at, she looked at the book, then at the direction of the sound, and wondered which was worse, getting caught, or changing into an animal but remaining safe. _Maybe it's better getting caught…. I don't know much about this Animagus thing and what if…_ before she could think further, the footsteps stopped. The person was among the shelves behind the one she was standing at. _What now?_

Draco Malfoy cursed in irritation. _All thanks to Pansy,_ he thought bitterly, _daring me to come here to steal a book about dark magic for her. What the hell was I thinking?_ He ran a finger through the books, taking out those whose writing had faded on the spine to check out the title. Slamming it back into the shelf, he cursed again, this time more colourfully, and stopped abruptly. _Did I… did I hear something?_ His ears perked slightly, waiting. Who had the nerve to sneak into the library at this time of the night, and into the restriction section too?

Dismissing the noise as hallucination, he continued with his search, feeling more and more vexed by the minute. He was never a patient man, and he would not start being one now. Throwing his hand up in frustration, he was about to give up when something caught his eye. The book that he was looking for. "There you are," he said almost inaudibly. 

Placing the book into his robes, he was about to walk off with a smug smile on his face when another shuffling sound stopped him. He turned back around, and decided to check it out. Taking big long strides to the second row of shelves, he confronted whatever that was there with his hand outstretched, wand pointing.

In front of him stood the most peculiar kitten, its fur being reddish gold in colour so much so that it shines under the obscure lighting. "My, my. What do we have here?" he stepped closer, bending down to see the little creature that was actually shivering in fright at the sight of him. "C'mon now. Am I really that scary?" he scoffed.

The kitten had nodded, to the surprise and delight of Draco Malfoy. He had never seen such a well, cute and beautiful creature that looked about the size of half his hand. "Here kitty," he cooed to the animal, but it stayed where it was, refusing to move. Draco laughed softly. "You really _are_ afraid of me aren't you?" he smirked. "Oh well. I couldn't leave you here by yourself now, could I?" he picked the genteel creature up and placed it on his palm, bringing it close to his face to examine it more closely. "A female," he decided, "with blue eyes too. Highly unusual. And special. Therefore, you shall belong to me," Draco grinned evilly, and exited the library.

***


	2. chap2

Chapter 2

_Where are you taking me?_ Ginny screamed in her feline mind, shivering despite her will to not panic. She was in pitch darkness, as Draco had put her into his robe pocket, and he was now walking swiftly back to the Slytherin common room. 

She bumped against his thighs at each step, giving her the dizzies. Closing her eyes, she tried to lose herself in the hypnotic rhythm of the steps, and slowly found herself to be doing so, drifting off into unconsciousness.

"Draco, darling!" Pansy cried out, jumping out of the couch and draped her body on the boy's. Draco looked at her in disgust, and shrugged her off. Looking as if nothing has happened, she continued, "Have you got what I wanted?" she raised her eyebrows at him condescendingly.

Draco smirked, and scoffed disbelievingly. "Me? Not being able to do such a simple dare? You must be kidding, Pansy. Or maybe your brains got turned to mush trying to come up with a worthwhile dare for me to attempt." Flinging the book of advanced dark magic at her, he turned around with a snort, and climbed up the stairs to the boy's dorms, opposite to that of the girls'.

"Hey!" Pansy shouted, crossing her arms and stamping her foot. "That was sooo unfair of him. Then again, he must be dying for me to give him all my attention, always teasing me like that," she smiled to herself, clutching the book to her chest. "Yes," she affirmed, taking a long look at the object in her arms, "he likes me," she giggled.

Crabbe and Goyle rolled their eyes at Pansy, who seemed oblivious to the world around her. They were not entirely stupid, the two of them. They had just stuck around Draco for the sake of their fathers, as they were under the mercy of Lucius Malfoy, being underlings of the right hand man of the Dark Lord. To gain an upper hand amongst the rest of the underlings, Crabbe and Goyle's fathers had ordered the seventh year boys to be Draco Malfoy's best friends, and well, they haven't been really successful, just following the pale haired boy around in their first few years, scaring everyone else away.

They had been making progress though, in the past two years or so, by actually trying to get to know Draco better. Sure, Draco wasn't the easiest person to get close to, but at least they had gotten him to open up about his feelings about superficial things like how school was, and had gone out together to have fun at the witches' arcade. The bonding was not so deep, but Crabbe and Goyle had grown to love and respect their leader, their fathers' orders forgotten, and they are willing to sacrifice anything, everything even, for Draco.

So they watched Draco's straight and rigid back as it ascended the stairs and disappeared into the dorm, and sighed. "Pansy's never gonna get it," Crabbe told Goyle, grinning.

"Yeah, but that's the whole point," Goyle grinned back, his black eyes glinting in mischief. "Makes life more interesting, you know,"

"I sure do," they laughed and looked at Pansy, who was still looking as dreamy as ever holding the dark magic book tightly.

***

Slamming the double oak doors shut behind him, he took off his robes, and threw it on his bed, which laid at the corner most area of the big room. The bed was placed in line with the window, illuminating his pristine white cotton bed sheets and silky forest green comforter. Realising his mistake, he stuck his tongue out boyishly, muttered an 'oops' before hurrying over to his robes, and frantically searching for the pockets, hoping that the kitten was not too badly injured.

The kitten lay sound asleep in his robes, cuddled up to conserve its body warmth. Reaching his hand in slowly, his fingers closed around the soft warm body of the cutie, and pulled it out with great care, trying not to wake her up.

Draco stared in wonder at the creature on his palm, it's body rising and falling to its own breathing rhythm, and he stroked the darkish red fur from her head down to her back softly, advertently, and took his hand back when she started to stir.

The kitten's fur stood on end as it stared up at him wide eyed, and began to shiver once again on his warm palm. "What? Not again? Will you relax, kitty?" Draco frowned, biting his lip. What would it take for the kitty to stop getting the creeps whenever she sees him? _I have to gain its trust,_ he discerned, and scratched his head. _Um. Hello. I'm Draco MALFOY. Malfoys don't trust, or need to be trusted._ He eyed the kitten, which was backing away from him now. _To hell with what Malfoys think. I'm dealing with this kitty first._

"Um. Hi. I'm Draco Malfoy," Draco tried, and looked at the cat expectantly. Surprisingly, the kitten had stopped shaking, and was now staring at him in confusion, it seemed. A moment later, the kitty had started shaking slightly, as if she was laughing at Draco! _The nerve!_ He took deep breaths, and attempted to settle his temper. What he had said finally hit him, and he started laughing as well, breaking the tension momentarily. "Ok, that was a pretty stupid way of introducing myself to such a smart kitty," he grinned at her, cocking his head to the right. Draco reached out to the kitty, which shrunk back on herself, and scratched her behind the ear, smiling as the kitty warmed up to him instantaneously, stretching her neck towards him to give him greater access.

"Ha. You see? There's nothing to be afraid of," he cooed, now stroking her fur. "You've got beautiful copper red fur, you know that?"

The kitten cocked its head, and mewed softly, licking the side of his hand. "Aw… now you're getting all sweet on me," he mused, and grabbed the kitten in his hand, settling himself on his bed before laying the kitten on his stomach. "I'm really beginning to like you, kitty." He stuffed his hands behind his head and sighed. "What would Father say of this?" he chuckled bitterly, and the kitten mewled again, finally deciding that standing on all fours was tiring and sat down comfortably.

Draco yawned tiredly. "This is tiring, you know. Being humane and all that. I like being evil better," he smirked as the kitten shook her head vehemently, using her paws to hit his stomach repeatedly in annoyance.

"Ok, ok! Sheesh, lady, you just gotta calm down," Draco drawled, the feeling of sleepiness overcoming his senses. Taking a last look at the kitten, his last thought was to give her a name before he let himself drift into darkness.

***

_What was that all about?_ Ginny thought to herself, and buried her head in her… paws. Was Draco being serious about actually liking her? _Nononono. That just can't be. He's in LIKE with the KITTY, not with me, Ginny Weasley. Oh man, what am I gonna do when he finds out? I've gotta run…_ she hopped down from the sleeping form of Draco, and trotted towards the doors of the dorms, pondering on how she should get out.

Her answer came when the doors swung open, revealing the large bodies of Crabbe and Goyle, walking in casually, chatting and laughing. _They actually talk? About Quidditch too!_ Ginny stared in disbelief. Shaking herself out of her trance, she tore down the stairs of the Slytherin dorms that swung open as another Slytherin student stepped into the common room. Once out of the room, she stopped, catching her breath. Not knowing where to go, she concluded that she should change back into herself before doing anything else.

Slipping into the girls' changing room, she closed her eyes and started to visualise becoming human again, chanting the exact same words that was printed in the book, giving every single ounce of concentration that she could muster. She was thinking of the change so much that her kitty brain was hurting very badly.

After the draining chant, she opened her eyes slowly, expecting to see herself staring into the mirror. She was sorely disappointed and frightened when it didn't work, and she was still in her cat body, not being able to transform. _The hell?!!_ She scurried back into the library; sleep washing away from her mind in an instant.

As she sprinted towards the library, the fleeting ghost of The Bloody Baron floated by, making her hesitate a little, but she continued on as he past her, and got into the restricted section with no further delay.

Crawling under the shelves where she had chucked the book before Draco had found her, she dragged it out with by pushing the book with her nose, and squinted at the tiny words that were words of caution. What she read did not please her a single bit.

***

It was 7 in the morning when Crabbe had woken him up, shaking his shoulder roughly. "Hey Draco, it's time to get up," he persisted, and shook his whole bed.

Draco sprung up like a wound string released and glared at Crabbe dangerously. "What the _hell_ are you trying to do?"

"We've got Quidditch practice in five minutes, or have you forgotten, _Captain_?" Crabbe snorted as Draco got out of bed trying not to look like he was in a rush. The Quidditch captain waved him away, as he grabbed his robes and dashed for the bathroom to change and get ready.

Five minutes later, he was down at the field, ranting at his teammates to hurry up and assemble in twos on the field. Giving them orders to warm up by running round the track 10 times, he led the team, setting a gruelling pace for all of them to follow. Luckily for him, his team was renowned for its discipline, and were considered one of the best Slytherin team in Hogwart's history, though they tended to play a little dirtier than the previous years'.

After the sweaty workout, they rode on their brooms, practicing their moves and dodges with the Bludger and played a game among themselves. Finishing the training session at 9 sharp, they headed for the changing rooms, each of them ready to collapse.

Draco frowned at their lack of stamina, and took a mental note of training them harder. "What's this? Dragging your feet acting all weak and defeated? Slouching like some hunchbacks? You guys are young people! Act like one! I don't want aged people in my team you got that?! Stand straight and walk properly!" he bellowed at them, and immediately, their posture changed, showing how much they feared their captain. Of course, it's not fear alone, as he had proven them that he was worthy of being Captain by showing his effort put into building the team, and coming up with strategies and the likes. He wasn't that cold hearted towards them all the time either. Whenever they won a match, the whole team would go to Hogsmeade to have dinner together, as Draco realised that team bonding was very important in winning.

Draco walked back to the field, and grabbed the chest containing the balls. He hefted it up and supported the dead weight on his shoulders, and was going to put them back when Goyle stepped up, and offered to put it back for him.

He gave a curt nod, and gave him the chest. A silent look of gratitude was passed from Draco to Goyle, and he could tell that Draco was as tired as the rest of them; even more so, as he had ran an extra 2 miles after the team was dismissed.

Pulling his damp blond hair that stuck to his sweaty forehead, he suddenly remembered the kitty. _Where--? Oh my gawd!_ Breaking into a run, he stomped up to his dorms in his stinky robes and searched high and low for his kitten. Rummaging through his bedside drawers, his heart dropped as he wondered what could have happened to her. Taking a final look around after the mess he has created, he cursed, and trusting the kitten to be smart enough to look after herself, he went back to shower and to fill his stomach; he was goddamn hungry.

Entering the dining hall flanked by his two buddies, he sat down on the nearest seat he was to, too tired to even take another step. He helped himself to the ham and eggs that was placed in a huge serving dish in front of him and ate voraciously, stopping only to gulp half of his juice down in one long swig.

A tug at the hem of his robes got his attention as he stopped chewing, looking quizzically at Pansy, who was sitting right opposite him. _If she dares try anything funny, I swear…_ Draco bored his eyes through the brown haired girl, and willed her to look at him.

She must have felt some negative vibes around her because she lifted her head up to lock gazes with Draco, and started blushing furiously. "Um… yes, Draco?" she asked, wiping her mouth delicately with a serviette.

"Are you trying to-" the tugging became harder and more desperate and Draco finally looked down at what he thought was Pansy's foot, but to his great relief, it was the kitten that he had found last night. He looked up again, and acted as if nothing happened. Pansy was still looking at him and expecting an answer. He shook his head and said, "Oh. It's about the book," the wheels in his head were turning desperately, thinking of something to say to divert her attention.

"Yes? What about the book?" came a slightly disappointed reply.

"My father wants a copy of the book too. Do you know where to get it?" at least the kitty had stopped tugging, and with a inconspicuous glance at it, he found her sitting quietly by his boot, waiting for him to pick her up.

"Oh, sure. My mom owns a bookstore, I'll ask her about it. Is there anything else you wanted to ask me about?" Pansy asked, searching his face for some kind of clue.

_Alright already. I'll bring you out this weekend ok?_ "Yeah, I wanted to ask if you're free this Saturday? We could go out and have a butterbeer or something," he winced inwardly, trying not to show it on his face.

Pansy's face lit up at once, and she beamed at him with her best smile, which unfortunately, wasn't good enough for Draco. Instead of returning her smile, he stuffed more food into his mouth and ignored her totally. Pansy was already in la-la land of course, and therefore didn't notice his lack of attention.

Bending down, Draco quickly scooped the kitten up and placed it into his pocket, and continued eating. Crabbe gave him a weird glance, and he glared back, daring him to say anything.

"You really gonna take her out?" Goyle asked him from his left, and he turned around to face the guy.

"Yeah, I promised Father that I would," Draco explained, and breathed a deep sigh. "I have to follow orders, it's something about a transaction deal between her father and mine," he shrugged, pushing his plate away and standing up. "I'm done, I'll see you in a few," he waved and headed back to his dorms.

***

END CHAPTER2

What I have to say:

Ok, thanks for the reviews and encouragement from you guys out there, and well, I'm not really sure where I'm going with this story yet, but it'll be like what the title says, about interaction between my two fav chars and how they well, get to know each other. Hell, I'm not entirely sure about the animagus thing… anyone care to tell me how one does it? :Þ heheh. And about ginny having brown eyes instead of blue, well, I prefer her with blue ones. Too bad :Þ


	3. 3

Chapter 3

"Where's Ginny?" Ron asked out of the blue, while digging into his eggs with a fork.

Hermione glanced up in alarm and looked thoughtful. "I have no idea…" she said after a while. "Wasn't she with you last night? At Quidditch practice?"

"Well, yeah, but after that?"

"She came down for dinner," Hermione frowned. "And disappeared since," chewing on her fork in intense concentration, _didn't she ask me something about the restricted section of the library? What did she want there?_ "I remember something now-" her train of thought was interrupted by Harry, who had spilt his juice all over himself.

"Ugh. I'm such a clumsy oaf!" Harry said, grabbing a paper towel to wipe up the mess that he has made.

"And been living with too many Muggles," Ron surmised, shaking his head in mock pity. He brought up his wand and muttered a cleaning spell, much to Harry's embarrassment.

"I could have done that by myself," Harry protested, looking annoyed.

"Yeah, but you didn't," Ron pointed out, grinning. "C'mon, just eat up already, we've got some training to do later,"

The topic on Ginny was totally forgotten as the trio spent the whole breakfast period discussing the lessons for that day and keeping up with the latest gossip courtesy of Colin, who had decided that he was going to be the future top notch reporter of their time; showing them photos of Slytherin's Quidditch practice that was taken just a few minutes ago.

"Wow, how'd you get all these?" Harry asked wide-eyed.

"Well, it's _is_ my job. I'm going to be doing an interview with their captain later, so see ya guys around!" Colin left.

Hermione took a look at her pocket watch, a Christmas gift from her mom, and her jaw fell. "Hey guys… it's time for Potions with Snape," she told them, her mood sinking. "We'd better hurry or he'll minus points for being late _again_."

***

 Draco was seated quietly at the back of Potions class, and took out his writing materials, consisting of a bag of quills and some parchment to take notes on. He set the kitten, which he has still yet to name in his quill-bag, and watched it play with them.

Crabbe sat down next to him, and was rudely shocked by the animal on the table. "What the-"

Draco hissed at him to be quiet. "Don't tell anyone about this. I don't want everybody to go about thinking that Draco Malfoy has a soft spot for animals, especially cutie kittens, ok?" if looks could kill, Crabbe would be lifeless on the floor right now.

"O-ok. But tell me what's that all about?"

"No."

"C'mon. You can trust us," he pressed. Obviously he was going to tell Goyle, and Goyle would tell Pansy, and well, Pansy would tell the whole world through the P.A system or something.

"NO. Don't you understand English?" he said and pointedly ignored Crabbe after that.

Harry and his gang came bursting into the classroom, much to the amusement of Draco Malfoy and the rest of the Slytherins. "My, my, look who we have here," he told Goyle, in a voice loud enough to be heard by those around him, "Harry and his musketeers, late again," he smirked snootily.

Hermione rolled her eyes at him, and settled herself in the seat as far off in the corner of the classroom as she could. Ron and Harry followed suit, with Ron trailing behind in a fit of anger directed at nobody but Draco and his cronies.

"There's nothing Potter deserves more," Draco commented after Snape had taken away 20 points from Gryffindor for being late and unrepentant despite countless warnings given.

The lesson droned on, with them covering the theory part of making Wolfsbane potion; the ingredients and conditions needed to prepare it. Draco wasn't listening; he was playing with the kitten that seemed to be enjoying his attention, swiping at his fingers with its paws. He had gotten the ingredients for Wolfsbane potion down pat already, anyway.

Professor Snape was now looking at Draco curiously, watching as he fiddled about with his quill pouch. "Mr Malfoy," he began, causing him to raise his head lazily up in response, "would you mind telling us what's so interesting about your quills?" everyone turned to look at him, their curiosity piqued.

"Nothing sir, I was just looking for my bottle of ink. I think it's been misplaced. I want to make sure that I had enough ink to jot down the useful tips that you are telling us," Draco replied poker-faced, and retracted his hand from his quill pouch slowly, willing the kitten to stay hidden in it and not move.

Snape nodded satisfactorily, and continued with his long speech about the history of Wolfsbane potion. Crabbe eyed the kitty with grudging respect, and mumbled, "A pretty smart cat you've got there, whose got enough brains to keep quiet," he told Draco, pointing at the kitten who was staring up at him with those bright blue eyes.

"Whatever," Draco said, stuffing his unused parchment into his bag. He stopped, and looked at Crabbe thoughtfully. "How- or rather, _what _would you name a kitten?"

***

Ginny was listening to them argue what they should call her for a solid half an hour before Snape came in again from his break, stunned to see the both of them still at their seats.

"Why, if it isn't Mr Malfoy and Mr Crabbe… would you like to stay for the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw lesson as well? I wouldn't mind company, you know. You could take over the lesson too." He cast an icy glance at the both of them, who stared back at him blankly. "What are you still waiting for? Scram!"

Ginny snickered as Draco and Crabbe trudged out of the classroom, glaring at each other. "I would still name her Ginger," Crabbe stated, once they were safe again in the hallways of the classrooms.

"Ginger? You bloody mad?" Draco looked repulsed by that idea.

"Why not? She _is_ red." Crabbe pointed out.

"It sounds too kitty-ish. I want something unusual, something rare, not like the others!"

Crabbed rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Fine. Then go sort it out yourself, why don't you go ask your darling Pansy?"

Ginny's ears twitched at the mention of Pansy's name. _That girl? She'll probably call me Furball or something…_ she shuddered, thinking of herself in Pansy's hands, being dressed up with ribbons on her ears and frilly frocks made especially for kittens on her body. _No way._

Draco turned slightly green at Crabbe's suggestion, and Ginny noted absently that he matched his robes pretty well with that kind of skin colour, and yawned widely. "Fine. I'll figure it out by myself, I always do, anyway." He stormed off in the opposite direction, muttering something about him being all brawn and no brains.

As they were walking down the hallway in silence, Ginny remembered what she had read last night. The transfiguration was not as easy as it appeared to be. Sure, she had used a lot of concentration, and by luck, hasn't turned into a half creature half human _thing_. However, she had left out a huge chunk of information before the actual spell. Being the thick headed and spontaneous person that she was, she had conveniently flipped the book right to the instructions for transformation and ignored the introduction, the dangers of that type of transfiguration.

The transformation wasn't supposed to be executed in a day, for normal wizards. It was meant to take a step at a time, a gradual understanding and 'enlightenment' with the creature that she was going to take the form of. The book said that it helped if you associated with the creature of your choice, by either keeping it as a pet or if it isn't possible, to visit and spend at least an hour of interaction with it. Well, Ginny had bypassed all that and changed to a kitten due to desperation. _If McGonagall knows about this, I'll be her star student._ She thought darkly. _First try and I've hit the jackpot. Go me._ She groaned, the noise coming out as a purr.

Draco heard her purr and looked down to see if she was ok. "Hey girl. I don't remember feeding you at all. Did you get anything to eat while you were away?" he asked, rubbing the back of her head affectionately.

Ginny shook her head, stomach rumbling as she remembered that she hadn't eaten the whole day. _Some fish would sound really good right now._

"Ok then, off to the kitchen we go," he told her, face impassive, though she could hear the warmth in his voice.

They were interrupted by Colin, who had sprung out of nowhere with a camera and notepad in each hand. "Hi there, Malfoy. We had a 'date' remember?" he kept his eager gaze on Draco, who sighed dramatically.

"I don't remember." He said, side stepping him and increased his pace. Colin caught up easily, and pleaded for Draco to accept his interview.

"Can't you see that I'm in a rush?" he asked, giving him a 'don't bother me' look.

"Yeah, but this would only take a few minutes!"

"No. Get off of my face."

"Not until you agree to have this interview with me."

"I'll hex you into outer space if you keep following me!" he said through clenched teeth, cold grey eyes flashing.

Colin raised his hands in surrender. "Ok, ok! Have it your way then. I'll be back tomorrow. I'll get that interview from you." He promised.

"I'll be waiting," he rolled his eyes, and slammed the door open into the kitchen.

House elves were scurrying about; working their butts off as if there were no tomorrow, busy scrubbing the soot off their pans and rinsing the dishes.

Draco grabbed one of the elves who was passing by him and commanded him to bring him some fish. "And I want it _now_." He articulated each world slowly in a low voice, causing the elf to gulp nervously.

"Right away sir!"

A second later, a plate of baked salmon was in his hands, and he took the plate out, setting it on the floor, bringing Ginny out of her hiding place and toward the food.

_This has gotta be kitty heaven!_ She thought, inhaling the aroma of the baked fish. Bending her head down, she used her tongue to flick several slices of salmon into her mouth, and chewed slowly, surprised at how differently cat's taste buds work. She couldn't describe what the fish tasted like… it's just… different.

Draco watched the kitty inhale the food in mute fascination, and thought that he should go get some milk for her too. "Kitty," the cat looked at him, "I'll go get some milk for you ok? Stay right there and don't run away," he instructed. Ginny nodded as he wandered back into the kitchen to terrorise the poor elves again.

***

"Are you sure?" Ron asked, wiping his brow as he repeated the incantation to morph the flask in front of him into a cloak. "Ugh!" he said as the inanimate object remained what it was – a flask. "I can't do this!" 

Hermione pursed her lips and looked at him impatiently. "Are you listening to what I'm saying?" she asked, and waved her wand at the flask, instantaneously turning it to a cloak. Ron gave her a dirty look, and tried to morph it back into a flask. Of course, he couldn't get it.

Harry was seated on the bench behind theirs, and they were at McGonagall's transfiguration class, and they were practicing transfiguring inanimate objects. Their next lesson would be transfiguring inanimate objects into live ones, which wasn't theoretically possible, but it can be done, McGonagall had said, if they had used unicorn's blood.

"What are you guys bickering about now?" Harry sighed, as he turned performed his spell smoothly without any glitches. Ron was rather green-eyed as he looked as him, and he raised his eyebrows, not saying anything.

"As I was saying," Hermione continued acidly, "I haven't seen Ginny for the whole day today," she wringed her hands worriedly. "Do you think-"

"Maybe you just didn't happen to bump into her in between classes?" Harry asked hopefully.

"Maybe," Hermione replied, and Ron's hand clasped her shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"I know Ginny. She's probably just too busy studying in the library or something. This is not the first time she's been doing her disappearing act on us," Ron reasoned, his blue eyes holding just a twinge of worry. "I do hope she's taking care of herself, though. I didn't see her at lunch today,"

"There's Quidditch later, I'm sure she'll be down for that," Harry told them both cheerily, but was met by two solemn faces. "Hey guys. Be optimistic. If we-" he gestured at himself and Ron, "do not see Ginny at the field for practice, we'll go look for her, ok?"

Hermione finally forced a smile, and nodded.

***

The trio were at the library, a few hours later, mulling over the situation. Quidditch practice was dull without Ginny around to boost the morale of the team like she always did with her jokes and enthusiasm. Harry himself was too busy noticing the lack of Ginny's presence that he wasn't really in the mood to conduct the practice, with his team-mates questioning Ginny's whereabouts.

"Where do you think she might be? Do you think she had sneaked out of Hogwarts?" Ron asked, his anxiety beginning to increase ten-fold.

"No, Ginny's not that stupid, or rebellious," Hermione said, twirling her quill around her fingers, her other hand supporting her chin on the table, forehead creasing in thought.

"Who knows? Maybe she just found her rebellious side," Harry thought aloud, not quite believing that statement himself. Ginny had always been a rather quiet girl, except when she's on the field; she was entirely a different entity altogether with the wind whipping in her face, cheeks flushed and always the first to snatch the Quaffle, giving his Beaters and other players a hard time catching up with her.

"You think?" Ron paused a while, contemplating that idea. "So you think she's at Hogsmeade with some guy?" his voice was on a crescendo.

"Jeez, would you calm down?" Harry crossed his arms and leaned back as far as he could in his chair. "Don't jump to conclusions, ok? You're always so hot headed," he said, blowing his unruly hair out of his face.

Hermione shrugged, and spoke slowly. "I think we should let her be, at least for a while. Well, if she _is_ trying to be rebellious and all that, I'm sure it's a matter of time before she comes to her senses. Ginny is a sensible and smart girl. She'll be able to fend for herself. And anyway, haven't we been hanging around, 'protecting' her a little too much? Maybe this is her way of telling us that she's old enough to do what she wants?" she looked at them looking at her with bewildered expressions on their faces. "What? What did I say?" she cleared her throat awkwardly. "I have been through that phase too, with my sister, I mean,"

"Sure…" Ron gazed at her with a strange look, and turned back to Harry. "Maybe this is some sort of 'esp-thing' that we don't know about," Harry nodded his head in agreement.

***

Ginny sneezed, a cute kitty sneeze that caught Draco's attention yet again. She had been occupying Draco's spare time that was meant for his studies, and she was feeling a tad guilty about that. _But he deserves it,_ she argued with herself, _wasn't he the one who pushed me to become this wretched animal? Although I must say that I'm cute, sort of,_ she grinned mentally.

"What now? You getting sick on me, kitty?" Draco tilted his head slightly to look at Ginny, who was preening herself on the left of his study table in the library. As if on cue, she vomited a chunk of hair onto his parchments, an assignment he had spent an hour on for Care of Magical Creatures class. Draco felt his eyes grew big as he stared at the cat, which acted as if nothing had happened, happily licking herself clean. "You… You!!!" he pointed at the cat, too furious to speak.

Ginny crept up to him, and nuzzled her head against the back of his hand, and felt him soften almost immediately. _Sorry about that. Wasn't on purpose._ She thought mentally, hoping that he would understand. Licking his hand apologetically, she trotted to her hairball and pushed it away with her paws. _Ew… I can't believe I'm touching my own puke…_

"Thank you. But my ink is still smudged," he sighed, and hit the Ginny's head lightly with his quill. "That's for spitting the hairball on my stuff," he drawled, smirking.

_How dare you!_ She fumed, swiping at the quill. She could swipe at Draco's hands with her sharp claws, but she wasn't that mean, and she didn't want Malfoy to be hurt, no matter how big a jerk he was. Not like she hated him, never have, actually, despite the spark of hatred Ron had tried to ignite with his numerous rants and whining about how Malfoy got his goat. She didn't care for that crap anyway. Ginny did not believe in outward appearances, they never count. _I should know that for a fact, since everyone here thinks I'm just Ron's baby sister, a meek little girl who's just hardworking, all work and no play,_ she bared her teeth at Draco in frustration, and he looked a little taken aback.

"Wow, aren't you feisty, little red?" he said, amused by her antics. "Hey! Yeah… why don't I call you Little Red?" he grinned, and looked at Ginny, who wasn't so sure about that name… "Little Red," he repeated, feeling the name roll off his tongue and nodded. "Yeh. I think I'll call you that," he decided, and glanced at his watch. "Dinner. Let's go, _Little Red_." He chuckled as Ginny hissed, all of her fur standing up.

END CHAP 3

ME: Tis the end of another boring chapter. :Þ I don't think the explanation for Ginny's condition was good enough, but what the heck. At least I got it over and done with. Soooo lazy. Haha. Oh well, till next time.


	4. 4

Chapter 4 

"I'm telling you, I haven't seen her for a week!" Tracy cried, looking at Ginny's empty bed beside hers, stacked up with all her assignments from the past few days. The bed doesn't seem to be slept in, as the sheets were stretched tautly over the mattress. It was like she had disappeared into thin air.

Hermione stood with her hands on her hips, her weight on her right leg. Looking at Tracy suspiciously, she asked again, "You sure she hasn't sneaked off to somewhere?" she looked at Tracy, who was Ginny's rather good friend intently, searching for any hint that she may be lying.

Tracy remained impassive, her face clear of any expression whatsoever. She enunciated each word clearly. "I did not see Ginny the last week. I have no idea where she went, or who she's with. Or even if she's still alive." Upon saying the last statement, her voice cracked a little, and lines of worry could be seen etched across her youthful face. "What happened to her?" she whispered, and clutched at the bedpost of her own bed tightly.

"I don't know either," Hermione sighed, looking at Ginny's untouched bed and accessories on her bedside table. Her glance skimmed across the room of the sixth years', and back onto Tracy's face. "It's time to report that she's missing to Dumbledore." She decided, her features set. "Take care of yourself, alright? We'll find her somehow," Hermione promised, and exited the room.

Walking past the courtyard of the school compound which was dotted with hornbeam trees and students who were milling about in between classes, she stalked towards the Quidditch field which was just behind the school building; hoping to find Ron and Harry practicing there. She found the both of them by the stadium, sitting on the benches having a water break. Breaking into a slightly faster pace, she jogged towards them, and told them about her decision to tell Dumbledore.

Harry's mouth was set in a grim line, and he nodded gravely. "I guess that's the best thing we could do," he said, a little discouraged that there was nothing that he could do about it. He had always been the one to save the day, and now, the feeling of helplessness was overcoming him, and he slumped his shoulders, defeated. Was he going to be of less importance now? He didn't want to be. He was the Boy Who Lived. 

Ron clapped his back with a resounding thump. "C'mon Harry. She's gonna be alright. Hell, I'm her brother and I should be the one moping about, not you." He stood up and placed the plastic bottle he was holding onto the wooden bench. Grabbing his broom, he walked back to the lockers, ready to change back into his schooling robes and follow Hermione up to the Headmaster's office.

"Wait up!" they heard Harry call after them and walked together back to the changing rooms.

***

7 long days has passed since Ginny had been a 'pet' for Draco. Well, it wasn't as bad as she had thought it would be; he was a rather merciful owner and not to mention a caring one as well. She was well taken care of, which to Ginny was not an easy task, as she knew herself to be a picky eater, and someone who took cleanliness very seriously. She grooms herself, yes, but Draco had to get rid of her hairballs that she threw up pretty frequently, and she was really very grateful for him putting up with all her weird habits. It doesn't hurt either when Draco puts her on his bed at night, sometimes telling her his family stories and the relationships which he had with different people.

Draco Malfoy, from an outsider's point of view, would be the pretentious bastard, someone who sneers and looks down on people who are not as well off as himself. _He can't help it,_ Ginny reasoned for him, _He's so used to being the spoilt and the pampered one, so he can't understand why other people could live a life that is of a lower standard._ That was true, he _was_ given all the material things he needed all his life, but no one has ever given a shit about his mental well-being. He had told her hurriedly that he wasn't psycho, nor unstable. Draco said that he was used to being cast aside by his parents, who were too busy serving the Dark Lord.

Ginny remembered the starlit night when Draco had the first heart to heart talk with his pet; not like he wanted to, but he had been a little drunk from the dinner with Pansy two nights ago at Hogsmeade, the date that he had promised to take her out on. Pansy was the one who had dragged his ass back to Hogwarts, bitching all the way about how ungentlemanly Draco had been, only caring about his own problems and ignoring her the whole time. _It definitely wasn't true, Draco had been the perfect gentleman, escorting her everywhere, opening and closing doors for her, putting her first instead of himself, but he got carried away during dinner and gotten himself a little tipsy that's all…_ Ginny wanted to shout at Pansy, she was there, had been there the whole time, watching-no, hearing the couple from Draco's coat pocket. Ginny was impressed by his behaviour that night; she knew how much he detested her. However, he put had put on a poker face and acted like all's right with the world.

Anyway, after Pansy had deposited Draco into Crabbe's arms, Crabbe brought him to his bed and laid him rather gently down on his back, much to Ginny's relief. She didn't wish to be squashed flat by Draco. Draco, the boy who had never shown his vulnerable side other than when he's asleep, was dead helpless now; lying on the bed with his limbs sprawled across the soft bed sheets.

**Flashback**

It was four hours later when Draco woke up in a cold sweat, his eyes open wide, pupils dilated and staring at the ceiling but not seeing anything. Ginny woke up, standing on all fours in a wary position. Her kitty instincts had hit her with the feeling that something was wrong. She crept towards Draco, to see him looking blankly at the ceiling. Craning her neck to see what's up there, she was only met with the huge chandelier hanging from the dorms, plus some cobwebs in the corner of the ceiling, but that was all. 

Looking back at him, she licked the side of his face, but he did not respond. Pushing his cheek with her paw now, he turned to glare at her abruptly with his icy grey eyes, causing Ginny to jump back involuntarily. Cocking her head, she looked at him quizzically, waiting for him to say something. Instead, Draco sat up, rubbing his face roughly, and went to the window and sat by the ledge, gazing out into the lake near the Forbidden forest. She followed him at sat opposite him by his feet, looking out of the window as well. It was a pretty night, and the trees were gently swaying to the night breeze. Ginny wished that he would open the window just a little bit.

As if sensing her thoughts, Draco pushed the window out a little, and a gust of wind blew at the both of them, blowing Draco's un-gelled hair into his face. He looked like a boy of no more then 12 then. Draco drew his knees up to his chest, and rested his chin on them, all the while keeping his eyes on the forest.

Ginny purred, and neared Draco, a motion to let Draco know that she wanted to be picked up. Draco didn't even look at her; he was too busy in his own world. Just as Ginny thought that she was being ignored, he told her, "I want to be alone right now. Sorry Little Red," he whispered, clutching his knees tighter to his chest.

Although Ginny didn't understand his way of dealing with pain or scary nightmares, she obeyed his wishes, and stood by his side, watching, waiting.

They sat there like that for what must have been an hour, because Ginny had fallen asleep, snuggled against Draco's side and was awaken again by his chuckling and the feeling of being lifted up into the air. She yawned, opening her kitty jaws wide and showing her fangs. "You are not like a cat at all, Little Red," Draco said, stroking her fur, "Cats are independent, they would leave you alone if you told them to. You, on the other hand," he shook his head, grinning, "stick by me all the time," his voice dropped. "Thanks. For being there," his voice was barely audible, Ginny thought she was hallucinating. _It'll be better if you could talk it out,_ she told him telepathically, as if that would work. "What am I saying? You're just a cat… not like you could actually understand every single thing I say," he chuckled a little bitterly.

Ginny growled low in her throat at his statement. Draco turned to look at her with a snort, brushing his blond bangs away from his face with his fingers. "Yeah, whatever. O great kitty, Your wish is my command." He bowed his head dramatically, and upon recovery, said, "If you really want to know what I was dreaming about, well, it's no biggy actually, just about my father and Lord Voldemort." He let out a bitter chuckle, and shook his head. Not sure on how to act at this sudden confession, Ginny nodded, prompting him to go on.

To her surprise, Draco burst out laughing hysterically, his head thrown back, laughter bubbling out in a waterfall of dark humour. Ginny looked on taken slightly aback and her tail shot up in alarm, balancing precariously on Draco's knee but failing as she slid down his silk pyjamas onto the window sill with a plop. Springing lightly back onto her nimble feet, she stared at Draco strangely, and looked around to see the other sixth year Slytherins still sleeping soundly. _Pigs, the lot of them_. She thought bitterly and turned back to Draco. _Each man for himself, I guess…_ she felt sad for Draco, as he continued laughing haplessly.

Draco finally regained his composure, and straightened himself, wiping tears from his eyes. "Oh my gawd. I've never laughed so much before in my life," he said out aloud, shaking his head in disbelief. His expression turned sombre again, as his thoughts drifted to his nightmare. "My dream is about to come true," he whispered, mostly to himself. Ginny strained her ears as hard as she could to hear him speak. "And there's nothing I could do about it," he clenched his jaw for a second, and got up from his sitting position. Ginny watched him don his cloak and grab his broom, heading towards the window. He turned back to look at his kitten, and pointed at her, "You. Stay here." With that said, he jumped on his broom and sped off into the orangy-red glow of the rising sun.

Sighing in defeat, Ginny hopped onto Draco's now empty bed and snuggled under the covers that were strewn untidily across the bed. _That's the best I can get I suppose,_ she mused. _At least it was better than nothing. Almighty Draco has fears too._ She yawned, and nestled deeper into the covers, falling asleep.

End Flashback 

So there Ginny stood now, on the dining table of the Great Hall, being ogled at by the girls in Slytherin, as they made odd cooing noises at her, occasionally reaching out to stroke her copper furs. Ginny tried to remain calm although she felt her fuse slowly burning out. Pansy had found out about Draco's secret pet, and demanded that she saw it. Not wanting to create a scene, Draco obliged, albeit reluctantly as he handed the kitten over to the obnoxious girl, warning her not to harm Little Red in any way.

"Can I hold her?" Millicent asked, her pudgy hands stretching out in eager anticipation to carry the kitten. Draco gave her a drop-dead glare, and she shrank into her seat, stuffing turkey into her mouth sulkily.

Not being able to take anymore of the torture, Ginny wailed, and jumped out of the circle of hands surrounding her. She ran towards Draco, who raised his eyebrows in amusement as she approached him. _Stop looking at me like that, you idiot._ She was irritated, finding the attention of the girls a little to saturating. 

Draco looked at Crabbe, who nodded slightly and clapped his hands, dispersing all the girls who were crowded around where Ginny was back to their seats. Other Hogwarts students cast a few curious stares towards them, but they dismissed eventually thinking that the Slytherins were just trying another way of getting attention.

Pansy stayed behind after everyone left, with a hesitant look on her face. Ginny watched her warily, and wondered idly what she had up her sleeves this time. Draco was still seated regally on his seat, cutting his steak into bite-sized pieces before spearing them with his fork and eating them in practiced grace.

"Yes?" Draco asked, putting down his utensils to look up at her plainly.

"If you are free tonight, I would like to meet you up at the Astronomy Tower," she started, her voice surprisingly meek. "I… I've got something that I'd like to tell you," she finished, her hands playing with the front of her robes nervously.

Ginny couldn't tell whether Pansy was faking it or not. _Isn't my problem anyway,_ she told herself and stretched lazily across the table, picking at the fish on her dish with her sharp claws.

"Alright. I'll be there," he told her, and she breathed a sigh of relief, smiling daintily as she walked off jauntily. He sighed and shook his head, when his owl flew to him, depositing a letter on his palm. "What's this?" he muttered to himself, tearing it open without further thought. His eyes scanned through the letter and his breath quickened as his temper rose, crushing the piece of parchment in his hands after his eyes fell on the last word of the letter. Pushing his chair aside, he grabbed Little Red and stuffed her into his pocket before storming off towards the Slytherin common room. 

END CHAP 4.

Ok… this is kinda short and I know I took damn long to post this up but I can't help it… been going through weird phases lately. I think I'm undergoing puberty all over again… all these mood swings. Can't keep the hell up with them!! UGH. Anyway, exams are starting this Monday and I'm a goner. Byebye university. Oh whatever. I'll cya when I cya. Till then, review please!! :P


	5. 5

Chapter 5

It wasn't surprising to find Pansy already seated at the corner of the Astrology Tower, quietly gazing out into the velvet night sky splattered with drops of silver blinking into and out of existence every once in a while. Draco strode towards her in light footsteps, not betraying the anger he felt burning inside him. His eyebrows were knotted, his face distorted into an angry snarl. With the crushed piece of parchment in between his curled fingers, he flung it at her face, and demanded to know what was going on right that instant.

"Wha-" Pansy started, the paper catching her off guard and smacking right into her pretty face. Her expression turned nasty, and she scowled at Draco asking, "What was that for?"

"_You_ of all people should know better! You bitch. How dare you do this to me." He seethed, hands shaking by his sides, restraining the thought of choking Pansy right then and there.

Grabbing the paper from where it had landed in front of her robes, she lit her wand with a soft murmur and proceeded to read what was in the letter that had made Draco this mad. Her eyes widened as she skimmed through the letter, and from her look of utter confusion and astonishment, Draco knew that she couldn't be blamed… or maybe she was just playacting. Who knows?

"So bitch. What now?" he spat, slumping against the stone cold wall beside where Pansy was sitting.

"I-I swear I had nothing to do with this!" she cried out indignantly, attracting irritated stares from the couples that were some distance away from them.

"Yeah right and my father's not a death eater," he glared with all the hate he could muster, and that seemed to wither Pansy's resolve to be proved innocent as she looked away from his gaze for just a split second. That was enough for Draco to attack even more furiously. "You _knew_ about this. What a disgrace to the female population you are, you cheap slut. Fancy begging your daddy-o to arrange a bloody marriage?" he ended with a condescending snort in Pansy's direction. 

Pansy spluttered about, not knowing how to get her ass out of the shit she was in. "Let me explain-"

"NO. _You_ listen to me. You are going to write a letter to your father to denounce this marriage, understood? Later than 10 pm when I receive the good news from my father come tomorrow night, your body would most probably end up somewhere mangled in the Forbidden forest. I'll get you for this," He stabbed her shoulder with his forefinger, sending jolts of pain through Pansy's body. She grabbed his hand, however, much to the shock of Draco Malfoy.

"You have to listen to me!" Pansy pleaded, her wide plain brown eyes shining with unshed tears. Draco jerked his hand away from the disgusting grip of hers and looked at her coolly, giving her the chance to explain. "This is not what I wanted." She shook her head remorsefully, and stared down at her hands. "I just wanted to tell you that I-"

A soft purr came from the slightly ajar doors of the balcony of the Astronomy Tower, and Draco whirled around to see Little Red standing genteelly in the light cast on her from inside the tower and motioned for her to come to him. Ginny did so willingly and jumped up onto his awaiting palm in smooth ease.

Draco turned back to Pansy, who had lost what little nerve she had gathered just now to redeem herself. Smirking at her, he said, "I'll give you another day. To explain, as well to write to your father. Get out of my sight now." She complied without hesitation, scampering from view in a hurry.

***

Ginny had found out what had happened at the tower from Draco himself, who as usual sat by the window sill fingering the heavy drab curtains that lined the intricately carved wooden frame of the opening on the wall. 

"Yeah, Little Red, that was what happened," he finished after relating the whole incident to her. Shaking her head in sympathy, she rubbed her head against Draco's leg, who smirked lightly and shrugged. "She'll come round eventually. It's not that great to marry into the Malfoy family anyway. With Voldemort around, we'll always be slaves to the Dark side," he murmured, talking about the Death eater of a father he had. "He didn't really plan on helping him you know," he continued, looking at Ginny with a wistful expression. "It was a trap. My father was hungry for power. Now that he has it, he's lost his freedom. Hell, not only his, but our future generations as well. There is no escaping our fate" he paused for a while, a strange glint in his eyes. "Unless I beat him." The silence that followed after that was deafening.

_It's Harry's job, isn't it?_ Ginny thought to herself, licking her paws absently. _And that means…_ she didn't finish her thought, because it sounded to good to be true. Does that mean that Draco here was actually willing to join Harry to defeat Voldermort? _No,_ she chided herself mentally, _I'm just assuming. He might want to kill him all by himself,_ she realised. _Without anyone's help._ Ginny looked up at Draco again; he was staring blankly into the forest, something that he had been doing every so often recently. The kitten stared at him uncomfortably; she wasn't used to this Draco, so quiet and introspective. She was afraid that he might do something foolish, but of course, Draco being Draco, he probably had something up his sleeve. _But can he do it alone?_

 A gentle knock sounded on the door, and Draco glanced at it briefly before snapping his fingers to open the door. The door swung open silently, revealing a dark robed figure, its hood covering the face of the guest. Draco raised his guard, and grabbed his wand that was lying on his bedside table. Holding it in a relaxed position in his hand, he commanded the figure to step in. "And you are?"

The maroon clothed –girl- Draco noticed as she stepped into the light of the room, slowly took off her hood and shiny mahogany hair spilled out, uncovering the face of - Draco rolled his eyes skyward. "Pansy."

She nodded, biting her lower lip nervously. She stood at the foot of his bed, not too sure what she wanted to do next. Darting her gaze furtively around as if there were security cameras or something, her eyes finally fell on Draco's, and she stared at him in the eye, refusing to back down.

"What do you want?" his voice, glacial shot through the air at her in icy shards. Although the tone was cutting, she didn't flinch, but stood there unmoving. Draco sneered. _Most likely petrified,_ he thought smugly.

"I need to talk to you." She enunciated each word carefully, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. Draco nodded, barely moving his head at all. Steeling herself, Pansy said stolidly, "Draco. I have sent a letter to my father to cancel the engagement," a hesitant pause. "Well, I came here to tell you that…" another pause. "Um." She stopped, cursing softly.

"Um what?" Draco mocked, his attention temporarily captured by the stuttering girl in front of him. He shifted his position, standing up to lean his butt against his study table and crossed his arms on his chest, looking quite bored. 

"I want to tell you that I really, really like you."

Silence.

"Is that it?" Draco finally said, blowing on his nails and pretended to admire them. He glanced up at her, and saw that her brown eyes were slowly narrowing in impatience. He shrugged a shoulder in reply, and said, "I don't know. What am I supposed to say to that? I certainly don't like _you_ back," he stood up and walked towards her in slow steps. Inching towards her, he continued, "What makes you think I, an heir of _Malfoy_ would ever like such a-," he paused, fumbling for a word, "a cheap _whore_ like yourself?" Pansy took a step backward in shock as he stood in front of her, then another and another as he advanced.

"Not to mention what a spoilt, uncouth, ruthless, immature, and selfish brat you are," he towered over her menacingly, glaring at Pansy with fire in his stormy grey eyes. The girl on the other hand was staring straight at Draco's chest, not daring to meet his fierce and intense glare. Her own orbs were shimmering with tears, but she wouldn't let herself cry. Not like this. She shook like a leaf, not so much from fear now, but hurt and disbelief and of course, anger. Was she really such a person, no, a _beast_ to Draco? Did she deserve this shit that he was dumping on her now? Pansy was backed against the door now, and had no choice but to push him away with all the strength she could muster and fled away from his dormitory, her choked sobs echoing hollowly as she ran down the quiet corridor.

Draco landed squarely on his bum, but he was smirking in glee. He stood up and dusted his hands against his sides; the conceited look etched on his face like a Halloween mask. Ginny stood by the windowsill looking at him in disgust, and growled furiously at him, earning a grin from Draco. "How was that, Little Red?" he walked over and tried to pick her up, but ended getting a ferocious bite from her. His hand retracted sharply as he cursed, cradling his arm gingerly. "What the hell did you do that for?" 

Choosing to ignore him, she turned around and stuck her tail up at him haughtily. Draco scoffed, and told her, "You don't know a masterpiece when you see one. What you saw just now was truly a magnificent act. She would never ever come near me again." He stated triumphantly. He rummaged his drawer for a bandage to cover his wound inflicted by the sharp needle like teeth of his beloved kitten. "Ow… Damn! Your teeth are sharp."

As if biting him wasn't enough, Ginny hopped onto his bed and started clawing at him. Her nails were like razors as she vented her anger on his robes, shredding the thick material into pieces in a second. "What the-" Draco said startled as he tried pushing the half crazed kitten away from him, trying not to let his hands get in the way of her chopping. "Little Red!!!" he screamed at Ginny, who was now ripping his bed sheet apart. Clutching his hair in frustration, he took his wand and pointed it at the kitten. "If you don't stop this, don't blame me for cursing you into space!" he warned.

Ginny ignored him blithely as she continued her rampage on Draco's bed, now tearing through his pillows, sending feathers flying all over the place. A small one fell on Draco's nose and he blew it off, sighing in defeat. "What?! You want me to apologise to her?" Ginny stopped immediately, nodding in affirmation. "No way!" the clawing started again. He stood there for a moment, and finally relented. "Ok, ok! I'll apologise the first thing next morning alright? Now would you stop it?" he sighed, putting his wand down.

Ginny looked at him smugly, swishing her tail in the air and frolicked in the sea of feathers. Oh, how she loved having power over Draco.

END CHAP 5.


	6. 6

A/N: It's been quite a while since I've written this. I don't know why I decided to continue this, maybe cos I was reading a friend's fanfic(slam dunk) and was sorta inspired to write again. A lot happened the past 2 years and well, my writing style sure has changed I think, though I've a feeling it's for the worse... P righty-o. I haven't really had a plot mapped out at the beginning, so I'm just going with the flow. Here goes nuts...

_2 days later..._

Draco Malfoy walked down the corridor to the stairways leading into the Dungeons in quick strides, having just gotten Little Red from the library. He shook his head in wonderment. It was as if Little Red actually _liked_ going to the Library. Whenever he couldn't find her anywhere else, it was always the library where he would find her, nose buried in shelves of books. _It's as if the damn cat could read,_ he thought to himself, skimming down the stairs. "Look what you've done, you... you bookworm! You got me late for Potions with Snape! Urgh." He poked Ginny on her nose. She sneezed.

"_Oof._" The first thing he saw was a blur of books crashing to the ground. Not his. Travelling his gaze upwards, he saw the brunette getting up to her feet, dusting her robes and adjusting her hair. Ginny had fallen off his shoulder and was now a few feet away, playing with the books and quills on the ground.

It was Pansy that he had knocked over. Taking a breath as not to scream at her, he knelt down, picking up the things strewn on the ground. Gathering it in a haphazard pile, he handed it over into her shaking hands.

"Thanks Draco," she mumbled. "I'm sorry for knocking you over," she said hurriedly, stepping to the side so she could climb the stairs.

Draco blocked her way. "Aren't we having Potions now? Where are you going?" he cocked an eyebrow, looking at her suspiciously.

Pansy stilled, her brown eyes cast downwards, not daring to meet his narrowed grey ones. Her knuckles whitened as she gripped her books tightly to herself, and said in a tight voice, "That's none of your business."

"O-ho. Going to my father to report something new this time? Like how 'out of hand' I'm getting? How I helped a filthy Gryff first year to the mediward? Or how I'm skipping Transfiguration classes? Or how I _bullied_ you two nights ago?" his voice got lower, simmering with rage as he clutched the front of her robes.

"Let go of me," Pansy said as stolidly as she could, finally looking up into his eyes.

Ginny was tugging at the hem of his robes urgently, and Draco released Pansy with a 'humph', and stalked off in the opposite direction. He had to keep himself in check. He was still betrothed to Pansy; he couldn't nullify the engagement unless Pansy willed it. It was customary for the one who made the engagement to break it, but the other party to accept whatever offer they were given. Draco was actually kind of glad that Pansy's family had initiated the betrothal, because if it were his father who did so, he could never shrink his way out of it.

Draco stepped into class, earning a disgruntled look from Snape, but he didn't make a move to deduct house points, for which Draco was grateful for. He had lost enough points for the House already by arriving late to most of his other classes and for handing in assignments after due dates as well.

He sat down in his seat next to Blaise, who was looking at him weirdly. "What's going on these days, mate? I hardly ever see you anymore." he said, chopping up the ginseng root that was in front of him.

"Missed me did you?" he snapped, placing Ginny on the balancing scale, which tilted suddenly at the increment in weight. Ginny yelped, her hairs standing on end.

Blaise laughed at Ginny, who snarled at him in return. He spoke to Draco, "Ok, ok. I don't want to get caught in one of your hissy fits again," he raised his hands in surrender, returning his gaze to the instructions on the blackboard. "Here," he tossed Draco the belladonna. "Put it in the cauldron will you?"

Draco casually dumped the flower in the bubbling purple potion, turning it pink. "I'm not throwing a hissy fit." He complained.

"Yes you are," Blaise scribbled something on his parchment.

"No, I'm not," Draco's voice was near being whiny. Ginny looked at him in surprise. Was Draco actually _whinging_?? She couldn't help the bubbling mirth that started at the back of her throat. It was funny to see a cat laugh with its eyes scrunched shut; jaws open with its two fangs sticking out. A soft gurgle escaped her throat, and Draco turned to look at her, eyes brightening in amusement. buzzstuff(dot)net(slash)archives(slash)laughing-cat(dot)gif

"Look at her!" Draco pointed, nudging Blaise at the same time. Blaise turned around and caught Ginny in her fit of giggles. He tickled her on her stomach, making her purr in delight. Blaise's smile widened and he looked at Draco slyly, who was still gaping at his beloved cat.

"She sure has softened you up quite a bit," he commented, giving him an approving grin.

Draco scowled. "Whatever," he turned to stroke his Little Red on the head, Potions momentarily forgotten. "She's my adorable Little Red, aren't you girl?" he cooed softly. Ginny nodded in affirmation. "I swear, she's the smartest kitty I've ever come across."

"That's all well and good, Mr Malfoy, but I would really like to see this assignment done sometime today!" a booming voice sounded in front of him at the teacher's desk, followed by a dull thud of books. Snape was glaring at the both of them in irritation, finally announcing, "20 points from Slytherin!" he raised his hand, silencing both boys who both looked like they had something to say. "Now shut up and do your work."

It was late afternoon and Ginny was in the library again, desperately seeking the book that she had found nearly 2 weeks ago. _Where is that book?_ She thought to herself, wishing she still had her lips to bite on. She jumped on the table, gained some leverage, and then leaped onto the shelf where she last gave a search. There were just so many books on Animagus. '_1001 animals to transform into'? No... 'The magic behind Animagi transformation'? Not that one either... _She scanned through the titles of the books on that shelf, then crawled onto the next one.

_There it is!_ She clawed on the book titled 'Animagus Transformation for Dummies'. She wondered why she chose a book with such a title in the first place. A half assed book for a half assed transformation. The book dropped to the ground, the sound dampened by the thick carpet. She flipped the pages with much difficulty to the page where she left off, and started reading from there. It seemed as if it was more of a meditation thing than a 'simple mutter a spell and transform back to herself' kind of process. She swallowed, and continued reading. _Hang on, what's it say down here? Hmm... usually a surge of a powerful emotion would trigger the transformation from animal back to the human self – _she was suddenly grabbed from the back, and let out an undignified yelp.

"There you are, _Little Red_," Seamus Finnegan smirked down at her evilly. "Look here guys. Draco's cute widdle pet!" the rest of the Gryffindor boys gathered round to look at her. Ginny had a bad feeling about this.

Dean Thomas gave Seamus a look. "What are you going to do with her?"

"Well, I'm going to get back at Malfoy for the time he made us beg him in front of everyone at the Great Hall," his eyes glinted, the memory of being shamed still fresh in his mind. Ginny mewled a silent plea at that, causing Colin to look at her pitifully.

"She's just a kitten," Colin interjected, sounding a tad worried.

"Don't be daft! I'm not going to feed her to the wolves or something. It's just my little way of saying 'thank you' for that incident that day," Seamus rolled his eyes at Colin, who still looked a little unsure.

"Hey guys! Why are all of you huddled around there?"

The boys turned around, revealing Harry standing over them, peeking curiously at what they were crowded around.

Seamus hid the kitten behind him, trying not to look obvious as he shook his head. "Nothing much, thought I saw..." he looked around for something that might help him, and his gaze dropped to the book he saw lying open in front of him. "Yeah! I thought I saw this real interesting article over here," he pointed at the book, "and thought it extremely useful, so I called the guys over to take a look at it," he finished lamely.

Harry seemed to have bought it, though. When he spoke, his voice dropped into a hushed whisper. "This is a restricted section after all. You might want to keep it down,"

Seamus nodded. "S-sure."

"I'll see you guys later then," he gave a nod and walked off.

The group sat in silence for a while, letting the shock of having being nearly caught wear off slowly. It was only Harry, after all.

Colin was the first to speak. "That was close."

Seamus only nodded. Picking Ginny up, who was thrashing wildly in his grip, he placed her as gently as he could into a pouch, tied it up and thrust it at Dean. "You keep it,"

Dean looked scandalised. "No! _You_ keep it!"

"I don't want to!"

"It was your idea anyway!"

"Fine! I'll keep it!" Colin snatched the bag from Seamus and stalked off to his room, rolling his eyes.

Ginny wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry at being 'abducted' by one of her fellow housemates, but settled on being quiet as she planned on what she should do next.


End file.
